BELMONT (KCBS) – Gov. Jerry Brown managed to both satisfy and frustrate just about everybody as he signed and vetoed hundreds of bills over the weekend.

Brown insisted decisions that struck many as contradictory actually demonstrate some clear and consistent principals.

The governor tried to explain to an audience in Belmont why a bill that bans the open carrying of unloaded handguns and another that makes it easier to carry a concealed weapon were both signed.

“There is a phrase called the coincidence of opposites. I can even say it in Latin—coincidentia oppositorum. It means that apparently antagonistic measures can be melded together in a higher unity.”

KCBS’ Doug Sovern Reports:

Besides the impromptu Latin lesson, Brown also called for a change in the legislative process so that he wouldn’t be forced to decide on so many complex and controversial issues in just one month.

“I would like to see things earlier in the process so we can consider them with more time and thought,” he said.

KCBS and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier said many of Brown’s decisions were clearly meant to placate interest groups on both sides of the aisle.

For example, union ire at a bill making it tougher to open big box stores by requiring more environmental review would be softened by a victory for organized labor, legislation banning alcohol sales at automatic checkout machines.

Matier said collected revenue had again fallen some $300 million below expectations, raising the specter that Brown would have to “pull some of those triggers in the budget that everybody is so afraid of.”

KCBS And Chronicle Insider Phil Matier:

You can hear Phil Matier’s comments Monday through Friday at 7:50am and 5:50pm on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Doug Sovern began his career as a copy boy at the New York Times, and then moved to California to play in a rock band. After hundreds of gigs, an indie album and a whole lot of session work failed to make him a rock star, Doug returned to journalis...

One Comment

Well Governor brown you just did more to help criminals in this state than law abiding citizens. Quite frankly I don’t UNLOADED open carry to make a political statement I do so because as a disabled woman it is still my best chance of self defense than nothing at all. Secondly criminals are NOT going to open carry they are going to illegally conceal carry since they don’t give about the laws in the first place.

I might also want to add that is some counties of this state it is impossible to get a license to carry a concealed weapon in this state. In one of the newsbites I have heard why would someone want to carry a gun to get a cheeseburger. You might rethink that with incidents lately in this country. There was a guy that walked up to a person in a burger place here and shot him…why because he wanted to commit suicide by cop so he tried to kill an innocent to do it. What about the Lubbys massacre in Texas or the one that happened at the McDonald’s in SanYsidro. In both the last two incidents could have been stopped if someone had the ability to legally carry a handgun.

The excuse of the Wild West has proven to be a misnomer too even the FBI has studies that show that where it is legal to both open carry and concealed carry the crime rate is much lower per capita than those states that do not allow it.